Our view: Maintain momentum for needed pipeline

It was big news in April when an administrative law judge — after listening to five days of testimony and poring over more than 2,000 letters — recommended that the proposed Sandpiper pipeline go ahead and be built, that Minnesota needs it. The state Department of Commerce and staff from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission reached similar conclusions.

This week, after more oral arguments, the commission can keep this now clearly necessary oil-transporting infrastructure project moving forward by granting a “certificate of need,” the largest remaining hurdle before construction can begin, hopefully early next year.